Brett McGavin did his future prospects no harm at all after he impressed the Ipswich Town coaches during his debut at Colchester last week.
The 19-year-old has been a regular in the Blues Under 23s in recent seasons but has only now made his debut, completing 90-minutes in the EFL Trophy loss.
The youngster, who plays in a similar style to first-team stalwart Cole Skuse, was neat and tidy in all he did, using the ball quickly to bring others into play and keeping possession well.
And his display, as well as how he handled a big step up in standard, impressed Paul Lambert and his coaches.
"I thought Brett McGavin did really, really well in the game," assistant manager Stuart Taylor said.
"He's actually probably opened our eyes to the possibilities of how well he actually did.
"Never doubted him in any way, but it was great to see how much control he had in the game, how he handled the occasion.
"Going forward, it was great, it was a massive, massive tick for the academy again. It's great to see the younger ones coming through."
McGavin's reward could potentially be a place on the bench for Town's FA Cup replay at Lincoln City tomorrow night.
Also making debuts at Colchester last week were 16-year-olds Liam Gibbs and Tawanda Chirewa, who both slotted into the list of the 10 youngest players to represent the Blues.
Next up in the EFL Trophy is a visit to Peteroborough in the first week of December, with Taylor happy his side avoided long trips to the likes of Exeter or Bristol Rovers in Saturday's draw.
"In terms of miles, it's quite close by," Taylor said. "It's probably the closest it could have been.
"That was probably our biggest fear, getting a draw that was so far away that it would hamper how our working week would have to be. So in the grand scheme of things we're fine with the draw and it's close by."
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